Then
by mamacrime25
Summary: A Song fic to Brad Paisley's "Then." It's about Hotch and Prentiss throughout time. One shot.


Author's Note: I'm back! The semester is finally starting to wrap up, and that means more time for writing! I'm still working on "Dear Emily" as it has taken quite a long hiatus due to writer's block. I decided to write a song fic. I was inspired by my friend BonesBird's recent song fic. This is the first time that I have ever attempted to do this, so please let me know how it goes. Reviews are always welcome. Constructive criticism is great. I'm also on Twitter now (forensicdiva25), so feel free to follow me and my constant Criminal Minds related ramblings

The song is Brad Paisley's "Then." I do not own Criminal Minds, the characters, or this song. Just thought this would be a cool song to use for a fic. Also, I quoted a few lines from the show in this story. I don't own those either.

Then

I remember

Trying not to stare the night

That I first met you

You had me mesmerized

Aaron Hotchner had been assigned to protect Ambassador Elizabeth Prentiss. If he were to be 100% honest about it, he was not at all enthused about this particular assignment. However, being the good G-Man that he was, he would never even dream of muttering those thoughts aloud. The Ambassador was a handful to say the least. She liked to treat her protective detail like they were mere servants, and to make his life just a little more difficult, she usually disagreed with security advice and went about things as she normally would.

It was mid-July, and Aaron was about 2 months into this dreadful assignment. On this day, he had been assigned to check the outer perimeter of the mansion. It was scorching outside. Hell, it was the middle of summer in Virginia. If it wasn't hot, he would have been concerned. However, this was one of those days where the heat and humid was so staunch that he would have readily stripped out of his heavily insulated mandatory work drab. Someone really ought to inform the director that these dark suits and the Southern summer time was most definitely not a match made in heaven. Aaron silently cursed himself for having such thoughts at a time when his main concern should have been the protection of Ambassador Prentiss. And that's when it happened.

A black Dodge automobile came to a stop in the drive. Aaron had no recollection of seeing this car ever before, which is why the person in the car was of special interest to him. After all, as an integral part of the security team, it was his responsibility to know about those coming and going from the Ambassador's mansion. However, Aaron was not expecting what would step out from the car.

She was beautiful. She stood taller than Aaron figured most women would stand. She had to be around 5'7" or 5'8". The raven haired young woman with deep brown eyes was fair complected. She wasn't just beautiful; she was a bombshell. She was certainly a girl with whom Aaron Hotchner would be more than happy to make an acquaintance with some time. Just then he realized that the Ambassador was almost standing at his side when she suddenly let out a huge salutation.

"Emily, my dear, how are you?" asked the Ambassador as she put her arms out as if to embrace the young woman. Strange. In the past few months, Aaron had never known the Ambassador to ever get in such an excitable state. That's when he started to put two and two together.

"Hello, mother," responded the young woman. Shit! She is the Ambassador's daughter. He had heard there was a daughter, but he was under the impression that she was never around.

"Emily, this is Special Agent Hotchner," said the Ambassador. "He's currently leading up my security detail."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Agent Hotchner," responded Emily. God, this man was one of those men that you only see on the silver screen. He was talk, dark, and handsome. Most importantly, unlike most of the other agents that her mother had been assigned over the years, he seemed to be close in age to her and he was not wearing a wedding band on his left hand. She was glowing.

"Likewise, Miss Prentiss" replied Aaron.

"Oh please, Agent Hotchner, it's Emily," she said.

"Aaron," he replied.

Over the next few weeks, he saw Emily Prentiss coming and going. She had apparently decided to come visit her mother for a little while before leaving for Yale in the fall. The young woman was definitely a smart cookie. One day, she had been reading a Kurt Vonnegut book. Aaron realized what she was reading, and they started a conversation on the social implications on the book. She was brilliant and beautiful. There was not too much more Aaron could ask for in a woman, but then there was Haley.

Oh sweet Haley. They had met in high school, and had been together ever since. He was considering popping the question next month on their anniversary, but meeting Emily had made him have a few doubts on settling down just yet, but what was he doing here? Emily was the daughter of a powerful politician that he was assigned to protect. Technically, she was a part of his security detail! She was several years younger than he. This would devastate Haley. He could never in good conscious think of her as anything more than Miss Prentiss even though she was practically the woman of his dreams.

And three weeks later in the front porch light

Taking 45 minutes to kiss goodnight

I hadn't told you yet

I thought I loved you then

The team was still reeling from the loss of Elle. She had resigned that day in Hotch's office. They had just gotten back from a case the day before. Losing a team member was grueling. Although there were still five of them, catching methodical serial killers was a lot of work. Then, a beautiful brunette walked into his office. She was carrying a box of some sort. When he met her eyes, he immediately knew who it was. It was Emily Prentiss. The same Emily Prentiss who put all of those doubts about his life into his head many years ago. The same Emily Prentiss with whom he had thought of from time to time whenever he wondered how his life could have been different. Things were different now. He and Haley had been married for quite some time now, and Jack had just been born.

After that conversation with her, he was pissed. Although he remembered Emily as a sweet, bright young woman, he had not approved of any transfer request to his team. Aaron Hotchner could tell when he was being hoodwinked, and this was one of those times. Someone as powerful as the Ambassador could pull strings wherever he or she chose and that had to be the case here. He didn't really have use for someone who needed to use political connections to get onto his team. In the worst case scenario, Emily Prentiss was being placed on his team to function as the spy to the higher ups in the Bureau.

That day after the team got back from St. Louis, Aaron had been thoroughly impressed by Emily's interpretation of that case file. She had always been bright, so it was highly likely that she truly was qualified for this position at the BAU. He decided to give her a chance that day, but due to the suspicious circumstances of her transfer, it was rather difficult for him to completely trust her. However, since that time, Emily Prentiss did nothing but prove herself to the team. If anything, she proved what a great asset she was to the team.

Now you're my whole life

Now you're my whole world

I just can't believe

The way I feel about you girl

Like the river meets the sea

Stronger than it's ever been

We've come so far since that day

And I thought I loved you then

He had been talking to Chief Strauss when Emily had approached the Chief's office. When he heard those words roll off of Emily's lips, he silently cursed Strauss. He knew what she had done. She had tried to use Emily to get to him, and much to his chagrin, she had failed in that aspect as he knew that if she had succeeded, he would been searching for a new job and Emily would not be resigning her post. However, that is where he failed. Emily, one of the brightest assets that the Bureau had, was resigning due to her loyalty to him.

Aaron had tried to not get too involved in some of the more personal decisions that his subordinates made. It was his job to be their leader in the field not to be their life coach. However, Emily's resignation definitely threw him a curve ball. She had been so enthusiastic since joining the BAU. Although he had initially had some trust issues with Emily, and it was becoming more apparent that he was right o have assumed something more was going on here, she was one of the best agents on his team. He found it so hard not to ramble on in his mind about Emily. She was amazing to say the least. Even though he was at home with Haley and Jack and considering his future career options, he couldn't wrap his mind around Emily's sudden departure from the team. It was unnecessary. She should never try to take the fall for him.

After Morgan's plea for help, it was obvious that Aaron was need in Milwaukee with the team that he had just given up a few days before. He thought about his situation on the way to the airport, and that's when he decided that there was yet another key member of his team missing that they would need on this case: Emily. He decided to swing by her apartment on the way to the airport. He wanted to talk to here, and see what was running through her mind. He went her back on the team. Even if it wasn't his team anymore, it would soon belong to someone else, and the BAU would always need Emily. Likewise, Emily would always need the BAU, and no one could understand that better than Aaron.

There was a knock at Emily's door. "Can I come in?" asked Aaron. She was a little shocked to be honest. Never in a million years did she expect to answer a knock on her door and expect to find Aaron Hotchner on the other side. She opened the door and let him walk in. "The team needs us. They're working a case in Milwaukee. Gideon hasn't shown up. And don't tell me you quit or I put in for a transfer."

"You put in for a transfer?" she asked quizzically. She was confused by this confession, but Aaron just kept talking.

"They're both still hung up in the system, so technically we're in dereliction of duty by not being there," he replied.

"I'm sorry, I can't go," said Emily blatantly.

"Alright, sorry I barged in here," responded Aaron in a soft tone.

"Wait, wait, can I ask why are you really here?" asked Emily.

"I told you," he said. "I think Strauss came to you and asked for dirt on me."

"Why would she do that?" Emily asked hold back the emotion in her voice.

"I think if you have your eyes on top leadership in the FBI, you want to know who might stand in your way."

"And what could I have told her?"

"That one of my agents might have murdered a suspect in cold blood, or another might have a serious drug problem which I didn't report, and if Strauss had any evidence, my career would be over. I think she put you on our team and expected something in return, and to your credit, you quit, rather than whisper in her ear."

"I told you. I hate politics," Emily was almost reduced to tears at this point, but she chose to continue to compartmentalize. She had been used in the worst possible way. Aaron Hotchner was a great leader. He was what the BAU needed. This was her dream, and that bitch, Strauss, had taken her dream and turned it in to someone else's nightmare. No wonder Hotch had his reservations about her when she joined the team.

"Come to Milwaukee. I'll make you deal: if your ready bag isn't here and packed, I won't bug you anymore. If it is, I want you on that plane with me. One more case," he pleaded.

"I already turned in my badge and my gun."

"That's just hardware."

Just a few hours later, they were in Milwaukee with the rest of the team. If she were to be honest, she had never felt more at home than she was right now with this group of people in Milwaukee, well minus Strauss. Upon their arrival, the case was cracked almost immediately after another victim had been dumped by the Unsub. The take down of this particular Unsub had been dangerous, especially for Emily. He had hit her in the head, taken her gun, and encouraged his eight year old son to shoot her. It was a difficult situation to say the least, but at this point, Emily could take almost anything. She was just glad to be back doing this. This is what her life had come to be. It was about saving others.

Once they had arrived back to Quantico, the team had all gone their separate ways. Everyone except Reid was eager to get home and try to rationalize yet another gruesome, pointless crime against humanity. Reid was still concerned about Gideon, and he had made it rather clear that he had intended to drive out to his cabin to find out where he had been. Emily and Hotch were the last ones to make to their cars.

"Hotch," said Emily. "Thanks for coming to my apartment. You were right. I could never give this up either."

"I know, Prentiss," he said. "Neither could I."

When Emily had reached her apartment, she had determined that a nice, long, hot bath was most definitely in order. Although she was late on the scene, the case had taken a physical toll on her, and she needed to relax. She could never leave this life. This truly was her home. As Aaron reached his house, he assumed everyone was in bed for the night already because not only was it a bit late, but the lights were off. He knew that this was going to be a difficult evening, but he had to explain to Haley that this is what he needed to do. This is who he was. After searching the house, he had discovered Haley and Jack were gone, and she had left a note for him. She had left him. His wife of 20 years and his son were gone.

I remember taking you back to right where I first met you

You were so surprised

There were people around

But I didn't care

I got down on one knee right there

And once again,

I thought I loved you then

Aaron had wanted so badly to make things work with Haley. He had tried everything. He had agreed to marriage counseling. He had even agreed to step down as Unit Chief, but remain in the BAU. Haley was having none of it. She had wanted a divorce plain and simple. It had broken his heart to hear her say that she no longer wanted to be married to him. On that dreadful day when she had those divorce papers delivered to the BAU, he wanted to do nothing more than run to his office, shut his door, get under his desk, and wail like a baby. This hurt him more than anything in his life had ever hurt him. He had always loved Haley and Jack. He never felt as if his job was in the way of their relationship because he tried to be there at every possible moment.

He figured he could at least have some time to be alone and sulk here in the comfort of his office as opposed to the hotel room in which he had taken residence these past few months since the rest of the team had determined they were going out for drinks. Since things were apparently becoming more official, it looked like he would need to begin apartment hunting this weekend. He wondered what would become of him as he sat in his dimly lit office sipping scotch, and then, he heard a knock on his door.

"Come in," he said as tried to tidy himself up. He looked normal enough, but he didn't want anyone to think that there was a problem. He profiled people for a living, for God's sake! He was surprised when he realized it was Emily. He was for sure everyone had gone out.

"Hey Hotch," she said shyly. It was very out of character for Emily Prentiss to act so shy, but she was treading in unknown waters right now. "I was dropping in to see if you would like to have some company."

"Uh sure, have a seat, Prentiss," he responded. He didn't know why she was here, but he supposed it would be nice to have a little company.

"Well, I was wondering if you had anything to eat yet? There's a rather nice Thai place that's not far from here. You look like you could use a meal," said Emily as she suddenly grew more certain of herself. She had come to look up to Aaron as a mentor and he was a damn fine leader. He was a friend. He was having a tough time right now, and he was in the need of some company. He didn't have to share his life story with her unless he wanted to, but she would be there just in case.

Aaron was unsure of what to say to Emily's invitation right then. Hell, he wasn't even expecting her to be the one knocking on his door. He half-heartedly believed that it would be Dave, but then he remembered. Dave is a man's man. He wouldn't be there to help another guy sulk. Although, it would have been nice to get some advice from Dave right about now considering he had gone through this process three times himself. Emily was here trying to be supportive and help him. He commended her for that, but he didn't know if he was ready to go out in public just right now, especially with Emily. She was a beautiful woman, but he didn't want anyone to get the wrong idea about them right now with all things considered. Oh what the hell…

"Uh yeah, that's fine. Let me just pack up here," responded Aaron as he staggered a little bit. It was more than evident to Emily that he had been drinking, especially since there was a nearly empty bottle of blended scotch on his desk and glass in hand. His actions just proved that although he might still be functioning just fine, he was likely rather buzzed.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah I'm fine, but it just may be better if you drive," he responded. His face was so stern looking. She could tell that he was broken. Hell, if she were him, she'd probably down a bottle of scotch to try and drown her sorrows, too. However, that was not the point. This is Hotch. This was not how he dealt with his problems. Well, that was a moot point because his wife had never taken his son, left him, and filed for divorce before.

Dinner started out quietly. For obvious reasons, Aaron had not been in a very talkative mood. As an Ambassador's daughter, Emily had been trained that there were appropriate times to talk and appropriate times to be quiet. This is one of those times where silence was in order. She was here for Aaron. That is what he needed. He didn't need someone to try and make small talk or psychoanalyze his decisions to tell him why his marriage failed. He needed a meal and a friend's support. Those were two things that Emily was able to provide.

When the main course arrived, things took a turn. Aaron started to talk about the time that he vacationed in Thailand with his family once when he was a child. Apparently, his grandmother had become a missionary after the death of his grandfather, so one summer, the family went off to Thailand to visit her. That is why Thai was his favorite of all ethnic cuisine. That conversation eventually led into another one about his brother Sean, whom Aaron cherished dearly. That conversation led to another about law school. Before they knew it, several hours had flown by. By that time, Aaron was completely sober. He even tried to take the check from Emily, but she refused. She said this was for him. At that time, Aaron knew that he would always have a friend in Emily Prentiss.

Now you're my whole life

Now you're my whole world

I just can't believe

The way I feel about you girl

Like a river meets the sea

Stronger than it's ever been

We've come so far since that day

And I thought I loved you then

New York had been a rather difficult time for Aaron Hotchner. He had become very fond of Kate, and when he was informed of her death, it felt like a knife had shoved into his own gut. She was the first woman since Haley for whom he had genuine feelings. Of course, there were several one night stands. That was to be expected. He felt awkward about them, but that's just the way things were. There was Emily who had proved to be quite a big support in his life. She was the same Emily that she had always been. A part of Aaron had once considered asking her on a date, but that idea exited his head as quickly as it had appeared for Emily was his subordinate and there were very strict rules about that kind of thing. Besides, she was truly a great friend, and he would never want to risk losing that.

Then, came Colorado. When Aaron heard Morgan shouting at the top of his lungs from the bullpen, he knew something was wrong. He could hardly believe what he was seeing on television. An attempted raid had gone bad at the compound in which Emily and Reid had gone undercover to investigate child abuse allegations, and they were now being held hostage. Aaron hurriedly gathered his team, and they made their way to Colorado. Of course, he had full faith in the ability of his agents. Emily and Reid knew what needed to be done, but that wasn't the point. Emily was best friend and Reid was like his kid brother. These weren't simply his subordinates; they were people for whom he cared a great deal.

It took everything Aaron had to listen to Emily take Cyrus' beating. She had always been a tough cookie, and she could spar with the guys without much difficulty. However, this was a much different situation. She had no control in this situation. She was being held as a prisoner, and couldn't possibly defend herself against Cyrus. His heart broke as he listened to every cut, scrape, and bruise that Emily received. Right then, a part of him swore vengeance on Cyrus if he ever got his hands on him. He just wished that there was a way in which he could let Emily know that he was here pulling for her and Reid's safe return. He didn't know what he would do if one or both of them were killed.

As a bloody, bruised Emily stumbled out of the compound along with the other women, Aaron could feel his heart sink. She was battered, but damn it she was alive. She was his best friend. Seeing her in this shape had upset him so much, but he was glad that she would be coming home with the team. He could never imagine life without her. She had done so much for him. Maybe his feelings for her were more than that of friendship, but he couldn't help it if that were the case.

I can just see you

With a baby on the way

I can just see you

When your hair is turning gray

What I can't see is how I'm ever going to love you more

But I've said that before

Emily had known something wasn't right. Aaron hadn't answered his phone all day. That was unlike him. One missed call occasionally happened, but even that was pretty out of character for Aaron Hotchner. That's why she had chosen to leave the victim's home to go check on him because someone should. Reid had understood Emily's reasoning as he shared her concern for Aaron. Aaron was like his big brother. He looked up to him, and more importantly, they needed him on this case. He had felt the same way not that long ago when Gideon had abruptly left the team without warning. He had hoped the same thing wasn't happening this time as well because he knew Emily would be crushed. It was common knowledge that Aaron and Emily had become friends outside of work. It was always hard to lose a member of the team.

When Emily arrived at Aaron's apartment and discovered the door was open, she immediately became alarmed, so with weapon drawn, she entered Aaron's apartment. What she saw inside put the fear of God inside of her. There was blood and bullet lodged into the wall sans Aaron. This was not good. She could feel the tears begin to pool in her eyes, when she pulled back, compartmentalized this scene, and called Garcia. This one tested the limits of her compartmentalization because this was Aaron. It was hard to wrap her mind around the fact that something had most likely happened to him and he was nowhere to be found. In their line of work, when a victim was nowhere to be found, that usually mean something sadistic had happened to them or their remains. Remains. God she just thought of Aaron's remains. She said a silent prayer right then. He couldn't be gone. She refused to believe it.

With the help of Garcia, she was able to find Aaron. He had been attacked at the hands of none other than George Foyet who was better known as the Reaper. That bastard had gone into Aaron's home and attacked him. Emily was fuming. If she could get her hands on Foyet, it would be over. She loved Aaron as he was her best friend. He had gone to bat for her several times this past year as she had for him. If she were to be completely honest, she had some romantic feelings for him from the very first time they had met, but Aaron had always seemed so unavailable to her, and now he was her boss. That meant he was most definitely off limits, but she couldn't help the feelings that ran through her mind as she sat next to his hospital bed while he slept. She can't believe that this happened to him. Why did she change their routine? They usually went out for drinks, but after Canada she was a little burnt out and just wanted to go home and relax. A part of her blamed herself, but deep down she knew that Foyet was likely lying in wait for Aaron, and that it wouldn't have mattered either way.

Haley had just arrived with Jack. After they were briefed of the situation, the team went for them. They wanted to make sure they were safe as they were now aware that Foyet had them on his radar. Emily was happy for Aaron because she had known that he was worried about their safety, but a part of her wished that Haley would have never come here. She didn't care for this woman who broke Aaron's heart like that. However, this wasn't her call. All she could do for her friend right now was show him support.

After Aaron was released from the hospital, Emily made herself available to him at every possible moment. She gave him rides to and from work. Emily wanted to be around Aaron at every opportunity because now that a homicidal maniac was after his family, Aaron was in slump that was even lower than when Haley divorced him. He could never live with himself if something were to happen to Jack. Foyet had literally hit Aaron where it hurt. Now, Aaron spent almost any waking hour that he could devote to finding Foyet and bringing Haley and Jack back home. Emily felt for Aaron. He didn't deserve this. No one deserved this. He had done everything right, and in the end, his wife had left him and a serial killer had pushed them into Witness Protection. As far as Aaron Hotchner was concerned, there was no winning. She had definitely fallen for him, but she could never let him know that. This wasn't the time.

Aaron had admired Emily's will power. She refused to leave him alone for long periods of time. He knew that she felt he was two steps from a complete downward spiral. She had even taken to staying over sometimes when she was there really late. At first, she would sleep on the couch, but Aaron never felt right about that. Eventually, they just decided as two responsible adult friends, they could share has bed. She was literally his rock. She made sure that this didn't consume him. He cared for her a great deal. She had always been the same Emily that he met all of those years ago. She was still just as strong, beautiful, and intelligent. He wished he could tell her that, but now, he had to find Foyet before he got to Haley and Jack. His marriage with Haley was over, and he had come to terms with that, especially once she finally revealed that she was indeed seeing someone else while they were still married. However, he still admired her as Jack's mother, and a part of him would always love her for that. He needed them back. Maybe then he could tell Emily how he felt, even though it scared him because he could possibly be losing his best friend if she didn't share the sentiment.

Now you're my whole life

Now you're my whole world

I just can't believe

The way I feel about you girl

Like a river meets the sea

Stronger than it's ever been

We've come so far since that day

And I thought I loved you then

Foyet had finally been dealt with. He was gone; however, before he was sent straight to hell where he belonged by Aaron, he had taken Haley's life. When the team had arrived at the scene of what once served as the Hotchner family residence, they could hardly believe the sight that lie in front of them. Aaron Hotchner had been completely broken. There was no denying that. It was just so much for everyone to handle, especially Emily. Aaron meant so much to her and seeing him this way hurt her so much. There were no words to express how she felt at that time. She wanted to make his pain go away, but she knew that was physically impossible.

That was two months ago. Once again, the team had found itself in upstate New York on a case. Everything seemed to wrap itself up nicely, until the discovery of the Unsub's partner at the cost of the life of a detective and nearly Emily's life as well. Aaron had decided that this was it. Yet another case in which Emily's life hung in the balance. He couldn't go on living this way because he of all people understood just how short life could be. He wanted her to know how he felt about her. He knew he was not only taking a gamble with his heart and possibly his career, but with the friendship they shared that he endeared. Not only did he want another type of relationship with her, but he wanted her to know that she wasn't in this alone by any means.

They were finally able to wrap up the case once and for all. The Unsub got his wish and was killed at the hand of Emily. They were able to locate the missing family and finally return to Quantico. The case was very taxing to say the least. There was lots of paperwork on this one that was for sure. He had to get home immediately for Jack's sake. Even though his young son would be asleep soon, any time spent with him was time well worth it. He was thrilled when Emily had expressed interest in coming over this evening because this would be a perfect venue to talk. She had offered to make the boys dinner, but of course Aaron had refused. He didn't want to take advantage of an injured Emily.

Emily had been spending a lot of time with Aaron and Jack, and Jack had become quite fond of her. She liked to help out as much as she could because she knew all too well what a rough patch they were going through. She had lost her father when she was a little girl. It was hard on her and her mother. They were never especially close which made things even more difficult. She had always known that the Hotchner men had never deserved this fate which is why she worked to keep things somewhat normal. Besides, she liked being around Aaron. He was much more than just a friend to her. She had hoped that some day she would be able to express to him how much she would like to be more than just friends.

That night was just like most normal evenings as of late. Aaron had determined that it was much too late in the evening to cook, so they had take out. After finishing dinner, "Toy Story" was put in the DVD player as the three of them sat on the couch intently watching the film. To anyone who didn't know them, they looked like the perfect family. Eventually, Jack and Emily had fallen asleep. When Aaron made this discovery, he lifted Jack out of Emily's arms as she began to wake up and put him to bed. If their talk went well, hopefully there would be more nights like this one.

"Hey, I better be going now," said Emily. "I'm obviously getting a little tired, and it's getting a little late."

"Well, you could always stay here," replied Aaron. "Actually, there is something that I have wanted to say to you for a little while now." Emily looked at Aaron in confusion. What could he possibly have to say to her?

"Okay," she said wearily.

"You've been an amazing friend for the past few years. You really have been my rock, but Emily Prentiss, I don't want that anymore," said Aaron. Emily was getting really confused now. Was he dismissing her as his friend? "Emily, I have feelings for you. I want to be with you. I have for a little while now, but everything his just been so hectic." At this point, Emily was staring at Aaron wide eyed and with a blank expression on her face. She was in love with him, and he had just shared his feelings with her. This was perfect, not expected, but perfect!

"Oh, Aaron," said Emily as she started to tear up. This time she could compartmentalize. She just let the flood gates open. "I feel the same way. I have for a while, but it's just that I was unsure, and I didn't want it to ruin our friendship…" As Emily continued to speak, Aaron had leaned in closer and wrapped his arms around Emily as he drew her into a passionate kiss. They kissed until they had to stop for air. Then, they stood in Aaron's living room holding each other as if nothing else mattered at that moment. They were now Aaron and Emily.


End file.
